Remember Me

Harry grinned, watching Ron shift uncomfortably as the tape measure flew around his body, recording the length of arms, legs, height and for some reason his nose.

“I don’t know why Fred and George made me get new dress robes; they got me new ones last year! I don’t need them!”

Harry raised his eyebrows. He knew why Ron’s brothers had wanted to buy him new robes, but he wasn’t about to share that information when he was having more fun than he had done in a while.

“Probably because of your growth spurt,” he said, watching as the tape measure flew around his best friend’s little toe. “You can’t wear dress robes that show off your ankle.”

Ron muttered something about, “wouldn’t mind,” then shifted his weight for the fifth time in a minute. “How long is this measuring thing going on for?”

“Well, it’s obviously very important to get the right size robes for you…”

“Oh, that explains why it’s measuring my ear, does it Harry?”

The tape measure hit Ron around the head and Harry thought that if it could look offended it would do so.

“Ow!” Ron stepped backwards to avoid the tape measure but collided with a pile of robes that were stacked behind him.

“Ron…”

But Harry’s warning came too late. Ron had stumbled in his overlarge new robes and fallen into the pile which collapsed on top of him. Multi-coloured robes folded themselves, covering up Ron’s head. Muted curses could be heard from inside the pile.

Harry snorted with laughter, choking as Ron’s bright pink face emerged from the clothes, a hot-pink sleeve hanging over his forehead.

“Ron, that looks amazing, the pink goes really well with your hair…”

Ron threw the robes at Harry as an assistant came over, tutting loudly.

“Oh, you think they’d suit me? Thanks for the thought, but you’d look much better in them.”

“Shut it Harry!”

But Ron was smiling too, and gave a short laugh that was overshadowed by Harry’s roaring. The assistant, however, was not joining in as she shook out the crumpled robes.

“I don’t see why you had to jump into the middle of the pile,” she sighed, passing her wand over a lilac dress so the creases magically disappeared. “And why you moved when I told you you had to stay still why the measuring was taking place, I have no idea.” The measuring tape, which had lied dormant on the floor perked up at this and nodded vigorously.

“And I thought only first-years weren’t able to stand still.”

Ron turned a violent shade of scarlet and the tape measure nodded harder.

Harry heard a new laugh from the back of the shop and turned to look for the source of it, imagining that Hermione had finished shopping in Flourish and Blotts, but instead his gaze fell on a strange girl he had never seen before staring at them unashamedly, her face grinning with mirth.

She was laughing at Ron and so she didn’t see Harry staring at her. And I thought Cho looked good he thought, his mind babbling incoherently.

Her long, dusky gold hair tickled her elbows and framed her heart-shape face. Hung over one arm was a pile of silky black robes, presumably Hogwarts uniform Harry thought. She had seen him now, and he quickly looked away as she turned her grey eyes to face him, an eyebrow rising.

“Oi!” Ron yelled from where he was struggling out of his new dress robes. “What’re you laughing at?”

The strange girl grinned at him. “Only first-years aren’t able to stand still,” she said, mimicking the assistant’s voice.

Harry closed his eyes, knowing how Ron’s quick temper flared up when he was embarrassed. He wasn’t disappointed.

“Yeah, well you shouldn’t have been looking. And you shouldn’t have laughed either!”

“Kind of hard not to.”

Ron seemed taken aback by her quick retaliations. He stuttered for words, glowering at the girl. Madam Malkin strode over, holding a shoebox.

“There you go dear,” she smiled, handing the shoes to the blonde-haired girl.

“Thank you.”

Her tone had changed so completely, in a matter of seconds, to unquestionable politeness. She accepted the box with a smile and handed over some silver to Madam Malkin.

“Have a nice time at Hogwarts,” the robemaker smiled.

“Will do. Thanks again.”

The girl turned and headed for the door.

“You’re going to Hogwarts?”

She turned around, clutching her bag to stare at Harry, defiance in her eyes. “Yes.”

“You don’t look much like a first-year.”

She raised her eyebrows again. “That’s probably because I’m not eleven.”

“What year are you in then?” asked Harry curiously.

“Sixth.” The girl headed for the door and left the shop.

Ron let out a low whistle, coming over to Harry with a similar bag in his arms. “She’s got some problems.”

Harry smiled inside at how easily his friend could hate someone. “You hardly know her. And she didn’t do anything rude.”

“She laughed at me!”

“So did I, you were hilarious.”

But Ron took no notice of him as they went outside into the cold, chilly mist that covered Diagon Alley. Harry let his voice fade into the background as he looked around the once crowded, now empty street. People weren’t stopping to chat to each other now, to browse in the shop windows. Instead they hurried, not wanting to spend a second longer outside than they had too. The mist was penetrating and hard to see through, left over by the Dementors who patrolled wizarding streets, outside the Ministry’s control.

It was surprising, really, that Harry had been allowed to leave the Weasley’s with no other protection. No Aurors had come with them today, and although he was not sorry, he was surprised. It was as if they didn’t care whether he lived or died.

*

Tonks and Kingsley were arguing loudly, hidden behind a wall.

“Kingsley, I don’t see what the point of all this is!”

He sighed and glowered down at the now pink-headed Auror. “Dumbledore wants Harry followed.”

“Yes, yes, I know that bit.” She flung her arms up in frustration. “But hasn’t he shown that he can look after himself? He’s sixteen! He’s done more than me when I was his age!”

“But you did not have the Dark Lord wanting to…quick, he’s moving.” Kingsley moved
between the small crowd of amulet sellers and into Flourish and Blotts and Tonks clattered after him, knocking over a stand on her way.

“…the Dark Lord wanting to kill you,” continued Kingsley as if nothing had happened, watching the wizards picking up their goods, grumbling angrily. “And can’t you move four feet without tripping over something?”

Tonks glared at him and leant against the wall of the bookshop. “At least I was actually doing something last year, whereas you were just sending people out on pointless searches for Sirius!”

Kingsley watched Harry and Ron greet Hermione and wander over to the Herbology section before he replied. “For your information, I was ‘doing something’ for the Order. And we’re meant to be guarding Harry!”

Tonks blew out her cheeks and banged her head rhythmically against the wall.

“Stop being so childish.”

She stuck her tongue out at him.

Kingsley frowned and turned away to face the trio again, where were now paying at the till, Mrs Weasley hovering over them like a motherly dragonfly. Ron was leaning on the desk, staring vacantly out at the shoppers and Kingsley pulled Tonks out of sight. She was too distinctive with that hot-pink hair she insisted on having. Harry had now paid and turned round to speak to his friend, who was now sending an ugly glare into the corner of the bookshop. Kingsley turned around slowly, so as not to attract suspicion; wand raised and saw what Ron was glaring at.

“Oh!” exclaimed Tonks happily, catching sight of the dark-blonde girl at the same time as Ron and Harry moved past her. Before Kingsley could stop her, she had darted out from the shadows and strode across their path, waving to the unknown girl.

“Wotcher Cass!”

Kingsley closed his eyes and wondered why Dumbledore had been so stupid to assign he task of keeping Harry safe to this immature girl.

“Hey Tonks.”

Harry and Ron had spun round, smiles on their faces to greet Nymphadora, but stopped when they saw who she was talking to.

“Hogwarts? Great, I’m one of the Aurors assigned to the school and surrounding area.”

“Really? Oh, well, I can come and see you!”

Tonks smiled at Cassandra and turned around to greet Harry and Ron. “Wotcher.”

“Tonks, what are you doing here?”

The Auror smiled and deflected the question with ease. “Auror work. Scrimgoeur has realised that You-Know-Who’s back at last, so he’s seriously overworking us to make up for the Ministry’s mistake. Nah, it’s just watching out for any trouble basically. Or any Dementors. It’s why there’s all this mist.”

Harry nodded at her explanation of Ministry work, unaware of the real reason. His eyes flickered back to Cassandra again. “Are you here alone? Because you really shouldn’t be. Death Eaters aren’t in hiding anymore, so-“

“I’m not a child!” The girl called Cassandra burst out angrily. Harry was taken aback; Tonks could see it in his eyes.

“I know you’re not,” he said.

“Oh, leave it Harry,” groaned Ron. “Let’s leave her alone, it’s not like she’s going to say anything nice.”

He dragged him away and Cassandra watched them go, a slight frown on her face.

“Charming, isn’t he?” she said haughtily. “See you.” She walked back to Debbie, a copy of Advanced Potion Making in her hands.

Tonks waved at her and turned around, suddenly finding herself face to face with Kingsley.

“What the hell were you thinking?” he whispered angrily. “Potter isn’t supposed to know we’re tailing him.”

A small smile wove its wave onto Tonks’s lips. “Speaking of tailing Harry, Shacklebolt, you’ve just missed him. He’s gone out the shop.”

Kingsley paused, and then guffawed loudly. “Well, come on then Tonks,” he took her hand and pulled her out into the cold, grey street. “Let’s get on with it, seeing as you’re so keen.”